The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-06-18


detect the slightest relief in the surround
ing gloom. There was nothing but coal
ike blackness around, above, beneath me.
l bent down to the body that lay on the
floor and listened eagerly. My strained
attention only caught the sound of heavy
breathing and an occasional gasp. Matches
| had none, and l was thinking about
searching the house for that article, when
| heard the woman on the floor move and
groan.
| bent down again and felt something
wet and warm. No light was required to
tell me that it was blood.
This increased my perplexity. Perhaps
the woman had broken a blood vessel.
Yet what assistance could render in that
cursed darkness? At that moment the
door vas pushed gently open and some
body entered whose footstep sounded like
that of the girl who had brought me into
that peculiar predicament.
"a light" L cried. "Quick quick y
She hurried away and presently returned
with lamp.
Miss Rossiter showed no weakness at
the sight of her mother lying on the floor
in pool of blood, but said quietly, "Help
me to carry her up stairs. j"
We did so, and l soon afforded Mrs.
Rossiter relief. The fall had inflicted a
nasty wound upon her head, but there was
no immediate danger,
The affair was SO peculiar that | am
afraid I did not give my whole attention to
the patient The patient Where was
the patient had been summoned in such
urgent haste to see? Was it this dark
looking woman who had behaved so strange
ly, and who was now lying unconscious on
the bed |? If so, she must have recovered
from her swoon after her daughters de-
parture, heard the tapping on the door, and
hurriedly opened it, mistaking me for
somebody else. But for whom had | been
mistaken? Whom could she have expect
ed at such an hour of the night? And
who was the emil she had received with
such strong expressions of endearment?
No solution of the enigma presented it,
self, and at length I turned to leave, prom
ising that would call again the following
day. Miss Rossiter followed me down
stairs, and, motioning me into the little
front room, said
"Tell me quickly how it all happened
l left mamma lying on the sofa. You
must have found her so How did she
get into the passage? And the-blood.
Oh! Tell ME how it happened p
| looked curiously at this young girl,
standing so erect with flushed face, and de-
manding in such an imperative manner an
answer to her question. Would it be alto
gether wise to tell the whole story? No
Doctors are so often taken behind the
scenes Of the various dramas played in
family life that they are obliged to act with
great circumspection. So answered :
"Your mother evidently recovered from the
fit after your departure, and hearing me
trying Intellectually to turn the key in the
lock, came forward and opened the door
herself. The shock of seeing a stranger
probably caused return of the fit, result
ing in the fall" This answer struck me
as being rather lame; but although | had
not told the exact truth, | thought that
under the circumstances that slight eva
sion was pardonable.
Miss Rossiter looked at me with heI
brown eyes wide open, as if she would read
the very workings of my mind; yet with a
certain reproach in them. Then she said
very quietly:
s'That is untrue"
I answered: 'sNot untrue, but l have
not told you all. did not wish to give
you unnecessary pain.
II would sooner hear the exact truth and
bear the pain," she replied calmly enough
though / could see by the twitching Of
her mouth and the hurried catching of hel
breath that she was prepared to hear some
thing that might cause her acute distress
told her the whole story without reser
vation. She listened carefully, and when
l had finished, said;
"Thank you, that sounds like the truth
Now promise that you will never mention
to anybody what you have seen and heard
in this house to night.
| rather resented this demand; but there
was something about the personality of thi
girl which brooked no refusal, so | promis
ed. She called me back when | had gone
half way down the path and said in soft
er voice, Forgive me-if / have offended
you. But I'm so tired-and-I hardly
know how to act Goodnight"
AS I walked down the garden became
conscious of most peculiar feeling of de
preston. Bracing myself up l partially
shook it off, but as turned into the roat
l actually fancied that somebody's no
breath passed over my cheek. The sensa
ton was SO real that | paused and looked
around, OF course detected nothing, bu
1t seemed to me that man might easil,
conceal himself behind the thick foliage
After another hasty glance I set my fac,
homeward, and walked rapidly down th'
road
Three or four routes would take mi
home. Half in bravado l chose the on
which would necessitate my walking alon:
narrow footpath about quarter of a mil
in length, with high railing on either side
1t was rather desolate spot, and after darl
nervous people preferred the longer, bu
more public, road. As hastened along
became conscious that somebody was walk
ing in the same direction as myself, bu
about hundred yards behind. Engrosse,
with my own thoughts, did not pay mucl
attention to the circumstance but present.,
the measured tramp of the persons step
annoyed me, and | quickened my pace.
To my surprise the steps behind ais
quickened to the same extent | broke
into run; they did likewise. Suddenly
stopped; the steps also ceased.
| recommended walking; they did tn
same, but at slightly quicker rate. Tn,
person, whoever it might be, was evidently
following me, and / determined to humo
him. The prospect of real danger calmec
my nerves. | grasped my stick tighter
and SO calculated my rate of progression
that he would overtake me in the next ten
yards. Nearer and nearer he came, till